Mesopotamian, Nimrud, Ashurnasirpal II at War, c. 875 BCE, limestonerelief, height 39 inches. Such relief sculptures lined the halls and throne room of the king's palace. Many depicted historical scenes of the king dominating enemies and wild beasts. The panels are arranged in friezes — an innovation of Assyrian sculptors and architects. In the battle scene above, the Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal attacks a fortified city whose walls are defended by archers. A winged deity above the king both protects him and blesses the event. The Assyrians clearly have the advantage. See Mesopotamian art.

Théodore Géricault (French,
1791-1824), The Raft of the Medusa, 1819, oil
on canvas, 4.91 x 7.16
m, Louvre. Géricault pictures a real-life drama of 149
shipwrecked sailors from the frigate "Medusa", abandoned
for twelve days on a raft off the Senegalese coast. He chose
to depict the moment on July 17, 1816 when the 15 survivors were
overcome with despair as the "Argus", the ship that
eventually was to rescue them, sailed off.

Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze (German-American,
1816-1869), Washington Crossing the Delaware, 1851,
oil on canvas,
149 x 255 inches (378.5 x 647.7 cm), Metropolitan Museum of Art,
NY. This painting depicts General George Washington's attack
on the Hessians at Trenton on December 25, 1776, during America's
revolution against England. A print published in 1853 gave the
painting the status of a national monument, in spite of numerous
errors in historical detail (the flag, for example, as depicted
here was not introduced until six months after the event). Nevertheless,
the painting captured and has held the affection of succeeding
generations of Americans, for the drama of the episode, despite
the histrionics, has great patriotic appeal. See flag.

Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way, 1861, oil on canvas, 33 1/4 x 43 3/8 inches, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC. The painting's title, taken from a poem written in 1726 by Irish poet George Berkeley, became a motto for America's quest for Manifest Destiny — the 19th century drive to grow the nation over vast frontiers. Here a group of pioneers have just passed Native Americans to achieve the summit of a climactic, mountainous barrier. Leutze placed a panoramic view of their ultimate goal, San Francisco Bay, at the bottom of the composition, flanked by medallionportraits of William Lewis and Daniel Boone.

Jean-Léon Gérôme (French,
1824-1904), Pollice Verso (Thumbs Down), 1872, oil on canvas,
39.5 x 58.625 inches, Phoenix Art Museum. Gérôme
studied the architecture
of the Colosseum, along with other historical evidence in producing
this history painting. To the right of the imperial throne, the
vestal virgins indicate their desire for the death of a defeated
combatant. Light streaming between sections of the canopy can
be seen streaking across the floor and lower walls. Ridley Scott
(American, contemporary) has said that this picture inspired
his production of the movie Gladiator in 2000, starring
Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix. See Roman art.